The Dallas Cowboys, under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, are clear on their offensive identity in 2025.
They will be tough and physical, show grit, and most importantly, look to dominate the line of scrimmage and run the football.
With Rico Dowdle a free agent, the Cowboys, right now, don’t have a back on the roster that teams fear, and despite Rico surpassing 1,000 yards in 2024, he isn’t seen as the leading guy under Schottenheimer, more so a piece of the puzzle.
But what are the Cowboys and Schottenheimer looking for in a running back?
“You want a guy that’s got vision,” Schottenheimer said. “You want a guy that has contact balance, the fronts, that we’re facing require guys to be able to make hidden yards. You got to have a guy that’s willing to run through arm tackles. I do believe that you have to catch the ball coming out of the backfield.
“If a team’s doing a nice job stopping the running game, you want to be able to get them involved, throwing it to them and that doesn’t mean they have to play like a receiver but they have to be able to run routes coming out of the back field and have the ability to separate and run after the catch is important.”
So, there we have it. The 5 Traits. That’s what Dallas will be looking for.
Having Pick 12 in the first round, the consensus is that Boise State star Ashton Jeanty, if available, will make his way to Dallas.
But others, such as Omarion Hampton, Kaleb Johnson, TreVeyon Henderson, and Brashard Smith, are also options.
So we now know what Schottenheimer and Dallas are looking for at running back and with the offense’s identity completely wrapped up in that, selecting the right player to hitch your wagon to is important.
Which way will the Cowboys go?